The life of a modern-day footballer eh?
They have it all, the model girlfriend, the countryside mansion and the fast cars but for some players this just isn’t enough.
It’s like they have an itch that needs to be scratched – the desire for something more than what they’ve already got.
The buzz of playing in front of thousands of people week in week out in the Premier League is more than enough for the majority of Premier League footballers but once that final whistle has blown some look for the next adrenalin hit which can fix them up until the next game.
Historically, footballers have always taken an interest in gambling; it might be a quick flutter on the horses, a trip to the casino or a game of cards with their team mates.
Nowadays with the advent of online bookmakers and casinos they don’t even have to leave the house if they fancy a gamble on the outcome of a sports event or on the spin of a roulette wheel. With sites such as Casino.com in UK, gambling is a click away. It offers plenty of online roulette games to choose from: European roulette, French, etc.
This makes gambling even easier for the modern-day footballer who know that they can indulge in their lust for that next adrenalin boost in just a few mouse clicks. In this post we look at some past and present greatest Premier League footballers who loved to have a gamble:
Phil Bardsley – The former Sunderland defender found himself in hot water with fiery Italian manager Paolo Di Canio in 2013 when he was pictured lying on the floor of a casino after a big win covered in £50 notes.
Di Canio was so incensed with his player that he fined him and dropped him from the next game.
Papiss Cisse – Newcastle United striker courted controversy with his club when he refused to wear the team shirt because the sponsor was a money lending company which he felt made a mockery of his Muslim faith.
However, after getting snapped by a photographer at a local casino, the hypocritical Cisse was quick to resolve his issue with the club and avoid any further embarrassment
Teddy Sheringham – Legendary Premier League striker Teddy Sheringham started a new career as a professional poker player after his playing days were over.
Before he returned to the game as a coach, Sheringham was a regular on the celebrity poker circuit and even managed to net himself a cool €93,000 when he reached the final table in a Portuguese tournament in 2010.
Gerard Pique – The former Manchester United defender is also a keen poker player and has some big tournament wins to his name.
Pique regularly participates in the European Poker Tour where he is often seen playing the high-stake tables. He also competed in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in 2014 after Spain’s less than impressive outing in that years FIFA World Cup.
Steve Claridge – Legend has it that Claridge used to have £5,000 stuffed in his track suit which he would spend in the bookies straight after training.
It was alleged that he was once left with £3.19 in his pay packet after his debts had been deducted by the club.
Samir Nasri – Another keen casino goer, Nasri was once escorted out of a London casino when he mistakenly joined a private roulette table and whilst placing his bet, accidentally touched the hand of the only other player who then subsequently lost their bet and got him kicked out.
Mario Balotelli – After a big casino win in Manchester in 2011, the controversial Italian striker showed his generous side when he gave a homeless man £1,000.
This act of generosity was in sharp contrast to the bad-boy persona he often portrayed during his time at the club where many people couldn’t abide his petulance.